The Home Depot announced a single-day effort to prepare residents in storm-prone regions for the upcoming hurricane season. On July 27, Home Depot said it will host Hurricane Preparedness Workshops at more than 700 of its stores from the Gulf Coast to New England.

The National Retail Federation issued a statement on Tuesday in support of the International Longshoreman’s Association’s approval of a new long-term master labor contract covering port terminal operations along the East and Gulf Coast ports.

A report released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates estimated that retail imports will increase 8.5% in February, after a contract deal between the East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers is finalized.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5% in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

As tropical storm Isaac barrels down on the Gulf Coast area, CVS/pharmacy has announced that, while complying with any mandatory evacuation order given by local officials, it is keeping its stores in affected areas open for as long as possible and stocking them with such storm preparedness items as water, batteries, flashlights and other products to help in an emergency.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) urged the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to reach a contract agreement well in advance of the Sept. 30 deadline in order to prevent a disruption to the flow of goods.

INSIGHTS

SPECIAL REPORTS

Retailer Today’s Best Retailers to Work With special report is now available. We surveyed more than 330 supplier company representatives for this first-of-its-kind research project, and the results are fascinating. Suppliers shared their views about major industry issues and perceptions of the business practices of top trading partners in the areas of leadership, strategy, collaboration and execution.